Diane's Climbing Partner

Diane Molitor Palmer and Robert (Bob) Liebl will challenge the highest mountain in Africa (19,340ft.) together as climbing partners on January 16, 2011. Diane and Bob met through an article witten by sports writer, Bob Lutz, of the Wichita Eagle on September 10, 2010, Wichita’s quest for adventure spans the globe…..

Hiking the hills on 12/30/2010

Bob who is a 71 years old and fit has always liked adventure.  He has a life long passion for fishing, hunting, backpacking and anything that has to do with the outdoors.  Bob and Diane both grew up in Kingman County about nine miles from each other but their paths never crossed until now.  Bob read the article in the Eagle and it intrigued him who this woman might possibly be?  So he called her and the journey began.  Bob already had a fishing trip confirmed to Brazil, to fish in the Amazon for peacock bass.  Unfortunately, the dates of the Mt. Kilimanjaro climb and the Amazon fishing trip collided. Diane finding a climbing partner seemed to have struck out, so she would go it alone.

Final training days at Cessna Stadium 1/03/2011

A couple weeks after the phone call, Bob decided to meet Diane at Cessna Stadium and get some exercise.  Hence, he began doing some of the training routines at Cessna Stadium stepping the stairs and benches, walking the track.  This went on for two months. On Monday, December 20 on a routine training session at Cessna stadium, Bob decided that this would be a once in a lifetime experience to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and go on Safari in the Sergenti that probably wouldn‘t come along again.  Moreover, he already had gone to the Amazon to fish several years ago, so the trip to the Amazon was cancelled. And Africa was on the itinerary.   After the climb and safari, Bob will head back to Wichita.  Diane will continue to travel in Africa until April 1st to visit and volunteer at each of the 5 missions she is raising funds for.